I've just had a chance to look at my recording of the game so here are some further thoughts:
• Kafer mentioned that the mark of good teams is that they put the foot on the throat when the game is won; so there is no hope of resurrection for the other side.
It was a good point. The Tahs just fizzled out though their physicality was maintained. Maybe they realised that the visitors had no clue how to score a try that night when the Tahs had 15 men on the field.
• There was mention that the Tahs lineout was good in the match against the Force yet it had problems against the Reds. Another good point.
I don't mind so much if my team loses a lineout because the other team has guessed right and gets up in front of my team's jumpers. You have to "pay" superior contesting skills from opponents even though they are from north of the Tweed River, but the unforced errors were galling.
I said a while back that one of the drawbacks of the Tahs' 2014 squad was that they would be vulnerable at lineout time when Chapman, a natural lineout quarterback, was not on the park, because I didn't think a lot about Dennis as an on-field lineout tactician.
Without Chapman and Dennis the Tahs' lineout on Saturday was a shambles, not that the Reds were perfect.
The thing was though: I couldn't work out at the ground who was calling the moves for the Tahs, whoever was throwing the ball in; and having seen the replay I am none the wiser, though I thought I saw Hoiles' lips move once or twice.
One of Vickerman's briefs should be to coach Douglas to be a lineout boss so that he can act as the deputy.
• Will Skelton has been running into contact too upright since he was at school and he is still doing it; but Big Willie still makes the yards. One of the reasons is that he has a low centre of gravity compared to what he should have with his height.
He is proportionally big from the waist down and can plow through tacklers from a poor running position. Louis Picamoles, the Toulouse and France number 8, is another who comes to mind in this regard.
But Will should be coached to run in a better position nevertheless.
• Some of the forward passes could have been avoided. The runners who got their timing wrong were part of the problem but the major fault was with the passers, for example Foley and Phipps, who at least had the option of not passing the ball.
• Then there was the habit of passing and stopping, giving the illusion of the pass being forward when it was actually square. Beale of NSW and Cooper of Qld did this on Saturday night instead of running forward to disguise a dodgy pass (and perhaps interfering "accidentally" with a defender crossing their path).
I don't mind so much if the passer is wrapping around the player he passed to and needs the room to do so. But more often than not they just stop to make sure that they are in position, back far enough, to get the ball from the next breakdown.
It's not such a bad habit provided the referee is not fooled by the illusion of "forwardness", but if he isn't they have to get smarter.
• One didn't mind Foley so much delivering that "howler" pass to Alofa at top speed and the ball slippery, but it seemed odd that Jackson did not spot the infraction immediately, nor Leckie with the flag.
Jackson, who was far behind the play, was not quick as a player (nor that responsive to referees) and I fear that this will act as a barrier in his reffing career.
• it was good to see Jackson bending down to monitor the feeds to the scrum a few times in the second half but he should have done it all the time. Genia's backside was pointing to the Tahs corner post most of the time when he delivered the ball and no doubt Phipps was just as culpable.
The scrum protocol should require the low angle viewing by the ref of the put-in in most of the scrums [Not all, because sometimes fellows are playing serial silly buggers and have to be watched a lot]. And what is wrong with the near AR doing this duty when the scrum is in the 15 metre area and the other AR doing the 5 metre policing for defenders?
• That try scored after Beale passed to Betham brought back memories of many a game played by Joeys at Hunters Hill. These friends, born on the same day, were involved in many such tries for their school.
• Crawford played well for Gen Blue (the NSW A side playing in the PRC) against Samoa A last Friday (See report here):
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/gen-blue-beat-samoa-in-prc-squeaker/
It's hard to believe that Betham or Alofa (playing on Crawford's preferred right-hand side) will be demoted to make room for him, but Cheika has made a few good moves already and he may make another one we don't expect.
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